Edwards family members, meanwhile, grieved the lost opportunity to know the woman the teenager was becoming. Naval Academy in 1981 as part of its second class to admit women. Since October 1986, 10 On Your Side has covered what are now known as the "Colonial Parkway murders." There were four double homicides. Still, as crime writer David Lohr of the Huffington Post tells us, the stretch has seen its share of bloodshed in the shape of a suspected serial killer. A double homicide is a rare occurrence in and of itself, so four happening so close together has naturally caused many to wonder if a serial killer is behind this series or murders. In 2007, the disappearance and presumed murder of Cassandra Hailey and Keith Call was featured in the Investigation Discovery program Sensing Murder, whereby investigators brought in psychics Pam Coronado and Laurie Campbell to gain new insights into the crimes. In a way, the fact that such murders and foul deeds took place in that spot was nothing short of sacrilegious and a scar on the Parkways patriotic nature and what it represents. He said extremely graphic crime scene photos were leaked to the public, fueling the familys anguish. or redistributed. Explore! They also eventually helped organize some of the families. Annamarie Phelps, top right, and Daniel Lauer, bottom right, disappeared Sept. 5, 1989. On any given day, Thomas can be found behind his desk in his Connecticut home sifting through archives, reaching out to law enforcement and answering calls and emails about his sisters case. Its still unclear what David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were doing together the night of their murders in 1987. Oxygen's two-night true-crime special Lovers' Lane Murders focuses on the slaying of eight men and women at the Colonial Parkway in Virginia. Dogs traced their scents to the river, but soon lost it. Joyce Call-Canada is the older sister of Keith Call. He explained it might be easier to wrap ones mind around one killer, not four or even more different ones. The Colonial Parkway Murders may be linked with other cases in Virginia around that time frame, including the 1996 murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds in the Route 29 Stalker case, and the murder of hikers Julie Williams and Lollie Winans in the Shenadoah National Park . It was known, not only by the homosexual community, but by the haters of the homosexual community, he said. Moderated by former FBI Special Agent Maureen O'Connell, the panel featured family members and advocates Joyce Call and Bill Thomas along with Blaine Pardoe, coauthor of a book on the case, A Special Kind of Evil: The Colonial Parkway Serial Killings. Wallets found open in the victims vehicles on the floor and on the dashboard respectively inthe first and third homicides add heft to the law enforcement theory, former FBI profiler Jim Clemente told Lovers Lane Murders. They could have been preparing to show their license or registration. Now, more than 10 years later, the families are pushing for another meeting. Still, some investigators are on the fence and dont want to definitively classify their disappearance as part of the serial killers cycle. "Cathy was somebody that could more than hold her own in any situation," he said. The Colonial Parkway is a scenic, 23-mile stretch in Virginia that links the historic towns of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Beckys wound isnt as deep as Cathys wound, Pettler added. Within the last five years, he has turned over dozens of tips. Paula and Teri Hailey, Cassandra Haileys sisters, have written letters over the years to the FBI pleading for answers. ", "We told her upfront and we express concern that going to the Naval Academy was going to be very tough," he continued. Just after Labor Day weekend 1989, Annamaria Phelps, 18, and Daniel Later, 21, vanished while en route to Virginia Beach. Were reverse engineering the family tree of this unknown person, and eventually their identity through the family tree with who they share DNA with one or two genealogy databases that we have access to, said Moore. For the families of the eight victims, it is yet another year spent searching for answers. Coombs and OConnell reviewed commonalities and dissimilarities in terms of location, treatment of bodies, method of murder, time and date, victims, motive, and crime scene. Throughout the years, it was usually the victims parents who spearheaded efforts to find justice, renew interest and pressure law enforcement to pursue their cases. I think the offender was targeting Cathy, Dr. Laura Pettler, a forensic criminologist, told Lovers Lane Murders. He dealt with the body with a lot more contempt.. "Colonial Parkway Murders" is a bit of a misnomer in that only 2 sets of the murders happened along the Colonial Parkway in Virginia, with . Murders all occurred, she said, within a 30-mile radius and all on a weekend or holiday.. Seven years after the final fatalities, another case reignited the investigation. For Teri and Paula Hailey, it is the hope that they and their parents will see justice. They all died at night. Dowski was younger and still a student at the College of William and Mary. The Colonial Parkway murders were the slayings of at least eight people apparently by a serial killer along the Colonial Parkway of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia between 1986 and 1989. The FBI, working in unison with the regions law enforcement, had a victim criteria in their arsenal. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Both women were fully clothed and there was no evidence of robbery or sexual assault. Between 1986 and 1989, three young couples were found brutally murdered while one couple is still missing and presumed dead, on or near the Colonial Parkway, a roadway that connects Jamestown,. What really made these murders stand out was their complexity that fact that couples and not individuals were the targets; their setting a brazen attack done in an area steeped in our Nations history, which made them even more morbid and profane to the collective subconscious; their wild and oftentimes misleading media coverage the murders are still prime fodder for all sorts of sensational series, books, and podcasts; and finally, the disquieting realization that the killer was never identified and that he or she will most likely escape any justice. Then, the little ideas turned into big ideas and that was the start of our connection.. Between 1986 and 1989, at least eight people were murdered near or along Virginia's Colonial Parkway by an apparent serial killer. The human carnage six bodies were found, while two presumed-dead victims have never been recovered was collectively called the Colonial Parkway Murders. Joyce Call-Canada is the older sister of Keith Call. Sept. 20, 1987: David Knoblings truck was found abandoned in a parking lot with the door open, the radio on and his wallet on the dashboard. "He was always washing it, his sister, Joyce Call-Canada, told The Virginian Pilot. The Colonial Parkway Murders families have been told by law enforcement (FBI and Virginia State Police) that they may have perpetrator DNA in 3 of the 4 crime scenes in the unsolved Colonial Parkway Murders. The double homicides took play over a four-year span . Fun Fact: Tunnel was built in 1942 and is 1,190 feet long. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. [Thomas] could hold their own from day one. Finally, there was no evidence of sexual assault pre or post mortem; the pair were fully clothed and sexually intact. William F. Thomas stands under an old oak tree at the Cheatham Annex pull off along the Colonial Parkway near Yorktown Tuesday afternoon, August 16,2016, holding a photo of his sister, Cathleen Thomas, a Naval Academy graduate who with Rebecca Dowski were the first of the murders along the Parkway that became known as the Colonial Parkway Murders. I see the killer evolving, she said, not just in his methods but in his motives.. "That tells me that either they were getting ready because they thought they were pulled over by a police officer or park ranger or whoever approached them pretended to be a cop -- or was a cop, he said. Roadway Killers Are Still Active In United States Today, How Behavioral Profiling Works To Catch Killers. The odds of four double homicides in as many years are extremely rare, which is why the slayings are. We had a good and long conversation about everything and started asking, What do we do and how do we get the word out? Call-Canada said. In the case of the Golden State Killer, DeAngelo was identified through third cousins. However, on their way back to Virginia Beach to start a new chapter in their lives, they vanished. The murders associated with the series span from the area around the Colonial Parkway around Williamsburg, to New Kent . Cathleen Thomas was just starting a new chapter after leaving the U.S. Navy, when her life was cut short. "I hope people will understand that the loss that weve suffered has not prevented us as families from continuing to focus on seeing some degree of justice done," Thomas, who serves as one of the shows producers, told Fox News. Now he has three children of his own. And it pains me to think that 34 years have gone by now. His newest endeavor is a podcast which he co-hosts with Kristin Dilley called Mind Over Murder. The podcast has extensively covered the Colonial Parkway cases, in addition to exploring other trends in crime, such as DNA advancement. Finally, the killers scope and the geographical stretch of his spree make it near impossible to set up a proliferation point from which to work from, a range to actively stake-out. Investigators have spent decades puzzling out the Colonial Parkway murders. The burden gets a little easier, but in such a small incremental way that you dont realize it at first, Thomas said. There has to be a degree of self-sabotage from a serial killer for an investigation to pan out. On September 20, 1987, Knoblings truck was found abandoned by the James River Bridge, Richmond.com reported. The Colonial Parkway is a beautiful stretch of highway which cuts through the Colonial National Historical Park in South-East Virginia. In the 35 years since she passed, when I see all these amazing women running for president and vice president, Congress, senators, ambassadors, CEOs, Cathy Thomas would have been one of those amazing women, her brother said. And remember, this was the 1980s. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Welcome to "Mind Over Murder." In this episode, co-hosts Kristin Dilley and Bill Thomas kick off an in-depth discussion of the Colonial Parkway Murders with criminologist and crime scene reconstruction expert Dr. Laura Pettler. No one has been standing in this line longer than the family members.. Joyce Call-Canada, Richard Calls sister, hyphenates her last name so that people recognize it while one of her brothers still keeps their familys home phone number. A typically tranquil area, no one expected the Parkway to be the setting for a gruesome string of murders. (ill Tiernan). The hunters discovered the bodies on a logging road about a quarter-of-a-mile from Courthouse Road, a location about a mile from the I-64 New Kent rest stop where Lauer's car was found. A couple, romantically involved, was found bound, gagged and their throats slit almost 200 miles from the initial hunting grounds. Ryan Noah Yawel Criminal Psychologist. Her son was only a year old when Robin died. The Colonial Parkway is a scenic, 23-mile stretch in Virginia that links the historic towns of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. 8:00 a.m . For Thomas, who has dedicated years of his life searching for answers, it is the hope that after three decades, his sisters cold case will be finally closed. The Colonial Parkway is 23 miles of beautiful Virginia road running between Yorktown and Jamestown, and as such, far from a terrifying, serial killer-y location. The investigations into all eight murders are ongoing and active, the Virginian Pilot reported. Lauer and Phelps might have been a settlement of scores and was carried out by a professional, while Knobling and Edward were murdered following a robbery. I see the killer evolving, she said, not just in his methods but in his motives., Theory: A Serial Killer Was (Or Posed As) Law Enforcement, Stoking this belief is the fact that victims car windows were found rolled down at crime scenes, according to. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Four double homicides occurred on or near the Colonial Parkway in Virginia during the 1980s. Cathy Thomas (left) andRebecca Ann Dowski were dating at the time of their murders. You cant exactly finger a suspect and develop a viable culprit on car displacement and fascination with couples. April 10, 1988: Keith Call, 20, and Cassandra Hailey, 18, went missing after a college party. The cases are now the subject of a new four-part true-crime docu-series on Oxygen titled "Lovers Lane Murders." Rebecca Dowski, top left, and Cathleen Thomas, bottom left, were killed Oct. 12, 1986. Find nearby businesses, restaurants and hotels. At least one of the badly decomposed bodies appears to have suffered knife wounds. "In 1986, DNA was barely out of the lab and it wasnt really used commonly in law enforcement applications. Unburieda true-crime blog with no illusions in the police, the privileged, or the powerful. They could be related, he said, adding that he doesnt see links among all four. Now, a team of former FBI special agents led by former FBI Profiler Jim Clemente intends . However, Cathy was unafraid to try things that no one else had done before. (Photo by Scott Neville/ For The Washington Post via Getty Images), Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for February 11, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry suffered Hollywood 'miscalculation' with explosive tell-alls: experts, Jussie Smollett files appeal argument in hate crime hoax conviction, Michael B. Jordan apologized to his mom before steamy Calvin Klein underwear ad was released, Kristin Cavallari jokes shes 'heartless' for breaking up with guys over text: 'I know thats horrible', Gisele Bndchen shares tips for when 'life gets challenging': 'Remember that the sun rises everyday', Amy Grant says she leaned on her faith after horrific bike accident: Its helped me not be afraid. The former was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the latter a senior of Willam & Mary College. They were both in top physical condition. We feellike we could be just as close to start to solve these cases. WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) The FBI and Virginia State Police have uncovered DNA from three of the four crimes scenes of the 1986 Colonial Parkway Murders that may belong to a perpetrator,. On September 20, 1987, David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were shot to death in the Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge, on the south shore of the James River in Isle of Wight County, near Smithfield, Virginia. At first, Thomas said his family suspected Cathy and Dowski were victims of a hate crime. A typically tranquil area, no one expected the Parkway to be the setting for a gruesome string of murders. This question of serial killer or coincidence is explored in Oxygens new limited series, Lovers Lane Murders, airing Thursday, February 11, and Friday, February 12 at 9/8c and 10/9c. "[21], On January 15, 2021, the Oxygen Network announced that a four-part true crime series, Lovers Lane Murders would cover the Colonial Parkway murders. Virginia's Colonial Parkway. If she had not been killed, Bill Thomas is sure she would have gone on to accomplish anything she wanted. 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